Tinashe Has Parted Ways With RCA Record Label: Report

Tinashe is no longer signed with the record label RCA, according to her longtime manager, Mike Nazzaro.

Contrary to reports circulating on the internet, “she wasn’t dropped,” Nazzaro says. “We initiated for her to be released. It was a positive split for her. It’s giving her back creative control.” He says the exit “took a little while to figure out,” but has been final for “a month or so.”

RCA did not respond to repeated requests for comment. However, Tinashe is no longer listed on the label’s roster page on its website.

Tinashe publicly announced her RCA signing in a YouTube video in 2012. She released her major-label debut, Aquarius, in 2014. That album included her breakout single “2 On,” which eventually earned a platinum certification. Two years later, Tinashe put out the Nightride mixtape, and two years after that, she released the Joyride album, which included collaborations with both hip-hop stars (Future) and indie darlings (Little Dragon).

At times, Tinashe’s relationship with her label appeared fractious. In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, the singer cited unspecified “creative differences” with RCA. During an interview with Lena Dunham not long after, Tinashe alleged that her A&R once pushed her to record a song despite her protests: “I couldn’t, as an artist, get behind the lyrics.”

But Nazzaro says that Tinashe’s split with RCA has “been a respectful separation on both sides.” “Her relationship with RCA was a long-term relationship, but they needed space,” he adds. “It was time to part ways.”

“She’s excited for this next step in her career,” he continues. “We’re trying to decide now, if we want new partners, who the next ones will be.”